The plums marketed under the CiEx label (Plum of Extremadura) are tasty, colourful, optimally ripe and have a minimum content of sugars. This new quality label has been created by the Association of Fruit Growers of Extremadura (Afruex) and can already be found in the supermarket.
The brand was created last year, but it was not until this summer when the first identification stickers were placed. Two companies from Extremadura, Acopaex and Explum, have been the first to market these quality plums, but there are some fifteen companies from the Extremadura fruit and vegetable sector that have joined the CiEx quality brand. Together they account for around 80% of the region's plum production, and they are expected to follow the same path as Acopaex and Explum in the coming weeks.
An inspection service
A number of quality controls need to be overcome in order to be accepted. The label's inspectors carefully analyse the organoleptic properties of the fruit. "Plums aren't usually subject to any special controls, besides the sanitary ones carried out by the European Union, and the seal's controls guarantee some quality standards. When a company wants to use the CiEx seal, it has to notify Afruex and we then send an inspector to the farm in order to check whether that fruit meets those quality standards: a perfect ripening, its characteristic colour, its low sugar content, an optimal hardness, etc. That way, the consumer will notice the difference and learn to appreciate the brand," explains Miguel Ángel Gómez, the managing director of Afruex.
That is the final goal: to ensure that customers are willing to come back for more. Gómez acknowledges that "in many cases, we have come across unripe or tough plums in the market. We were drifting a bit away from the consumers. With this brand, the plum's quality is guaranteed," he insists. "We have to persuade both consumers and companies about the need to deliver quality and supply a tasty fruit."
The brand has just been launched and, for now, there is only a small volume of plums of the two earliest varieties available under the label. There are still five other plum varieties to be sold under the brand, which could stay in the market until next October, after the harvest of the Angeleno variety.
This new quality seal can undoubtedly become an ally for plum producers in a particularly difficult year for the sector, which has seen its production volume reduced by the inclement weather. "We have been working at 50% of our potential; we will see how it goes next season. For now, we are trying to add value to the product with this label, and this should have a positive impact on the farmer," concludes the manager of Afruex.
Source: elperiodicoextremadura.com
